Web Project On The Boston Massacre

Web Project on the Boston Massacre

The Boston Massacre occurred on the 5th of March 1770 on King street in Boston when five residents were killed when English soldiers fired into a crowd of people. The crowd was said to have been unruly, yelling insults at the soldiers, and throwing various objects including snow balls and oyster shells. Eventually when one of the soldiers was struck with a stick and fell to the ground the shooting began. This act of violence is believed to have escalated from a dispute and fight over a bill for a wig that a British officer was accused of not paying. But tensions had been on the rise since the British had quartered two regiments in Boston in September 1768. The troops were sent because of issue with customs

The eight soldiers and one captain Thomas Preston were indicted for murder on March 13,1770, and then on September 7, 1770 they were formally arraigned, all the defendants pleaded not guilty. The eight soldiers wanted to have their trial with captain Preston, but their request was denied. It was thought that this would make it difficult for the them to use the defense that they were only following orders. There was no reason given for the refusal of their request of a single trial. Thomas Preston was tried on October 24th through October 30th. This trial resulted in the verdict of not guilty for Preston after only a few hours of deliberation by the jury of twelve men. There were several witnesses for the prosecution and the witness that basically told conflicting information on the accounts of the day. There was a of lack of evidence proving that Preston was the person that gave the order for the soldiers to fire their weapons. In his testimony he denied giving the order and actually insisted that

This was the first time there had been bloodshed and documented violence related to British troop in the colonies. As a result of the trial there was significant pressure put on the governor to remove the British soldiers from Boston and they were moved to Castle William. Several key figures emerged in the fight against Britain including John Hancock and Samuel Adams. The day after the massacre Adams chaired the group of fifteen members that meet at Faneuil Hall that demanded the removal of the British Troops and had authored several anti-British publications. John Hancock is said to have delivered one of his most memorable speeches on the fourth anniversary of the Massacre. Hancock would later become a famous signer of the Declaration of Independence. Even the defense attorney John Adams believed that a fair trial was important to show Great Britain